Helter-Skelter

[formosan]

Would you ride in one of these?



A flying car that was inspired by Marty McFly in Back to the Future has been given special airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), bringing us one step closer to living in a world where cars zip around overhead.



California startup Alef Aeronautics has been granted testing certification for its vehicle/aircraft, dubbed the "Model A," making it the first fully electric vehicle that can both drive and fly to receive U.S. government approval.



The Model A is the first flying vehicle that's able to drive on city streets and park in normal car stalls, and it's now approved for test runs on both land and in the sky.



"This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars," said Jim Dukhovny, the CEO of Alef, in a press release.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flying-car-model-a-alef-aeronautics-faa-certification/">https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flyi ... ification/">https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flying-car-model-a-alef-aeronautics-faa-certification/

[DKG]

A 41-year-old Chicago man has been convicted by a federal jury of fraudulently obtaining nearly $3 million in COVID relief funds.



Quamdeen Amuwo was convicted of each of the 12 counts of wire fraud alleged by federal prosecutors.



They said he participated in a scheme to defraud the government out of $2.7 million over an 8-month period in 2020. The allegations included submitting numerous applications to the Small Business Administration full of misrepresentations about businesses that he and others purportedly owned.



$120,000 was previously seized from his bank accounts.



Each count of wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years.All together, the total would be 240 years if Amuwo were to get the maximum.

[DKG]

In a fractured ruling that may invite a future constitutional challenge, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld by 5–4 a unique Pennsylvania law that requires companies to face litigants in its state courts when they register to do business in the state.



Pennsylvania is reportedly the only state with this kind of law.



The court vacated the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and remanded the case to that court, directing it to take a second look at a lawsuit a former Norfolk Southern Railway Co. employee brought against the company in a state where it isn't based.





Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion (pdf) of the U.S. Supreme Court in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co. (court file 21-1168).



Robert Mallory worked for Norfolk Southern as a freight car mechanic for almost 20 years, first in Ohio, then in Virginia. During his time with the company, he was responsible for spraying boxcar pipes with asbestos and handling chemicals in the railroad's paint shop, he said. He also demolished car interiors that, he claimed, contained carcinogens, according to a court summary.



After Mr. Mallory left the company, he moved to Pennsylvania for a time before returning to Virginia. Along the way, he was diagnosed with cancer, which he blamed the company for. He hired lawyers in Pennsylvania to sue his former employer in Pennsylvania state court under the Federal Employers' Liability Act. The statute created a workers' compensation system allowing railroad employees to recover damages for employers' negligence.



Norfolk Southern resisted the lawsuit on constitutional grounds. By the time he filed his complaint, the company noted, Mr. Mallory lived in Virginia. His complaint alleged that he was exposed to carcinogens in Ohio and Virginia. Meanwhile, the company itself was incorporated in Virginia and had its headquarters there.

[DKG]

If you feel like your grocery budget isn't getting you as far as it used to, you're not alone. Food prices are 6.7 percent higher this year than they were in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

[DKG]

Forecasters warn of a long and intense heat wave coming for the Southwest United States that could rank among the most severe in recent history.



The focal point of the blistering heat will fall mostly on Arizona, California, and New Mexico, with peak intensity expected later next week, according to regional offices of the National Weather Service (NWS).



Forecasts predicting scorching temperatures across the Southwest come at the tail end of a week that hit an average global record high temperature, according to the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer project.

[DKG]

The Saudis' controversial plan to slash oil production by 1 million barrels per day officially kicked off on July 1. The kingdom hopes that these voluntary cuts will help raise oil prices, which have remained sluggish for the better part of 2023. (The OPEC+ cartel – which include resource-rich countries in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, plus Russia – surprised observers when they announced some output cuts back in the spring that briefly drove up prices.)



Riyadh, for its part, has so far said that this reduction will last for the month of July but emphasized that it remains open to an extension. This comes as the global benchmark for crude oil has dropped around 13% in value so far this year, down from sky-high prices seen last year when Russia's war in Ukraine sent commodity prices soaring.

[DKG]

At least one death was confirmed after a storm system brought heavy rain and flooding to the northeastern United States on Sunday and now Monday, prompting officials in New York state to declare an emergency. The National Weather Service also listed much of the northeastern United States under various flood warnings and advisories as the system moves to the east.



"Heavy rain is likely to produce the potential for significant flash flooding throughout parts of New England on Monday," said the National Weather Service in a bulletin on Monday morning. It added that "several additional inches of rainfall is expected through Tuesday morning as this system slowly moves eastward."



A woman in her mid-30s died after she tried to leave her house with a dog in Highlands, New York, said the Orange County Executive's office. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told local media that the house of the victim floated away.





On Sunday evening, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Orange County, located north of the New York City metro area.



"I have announced a State of Emergency for Orange County, which has experienced life-threatening flooding over the past few hours. We are in close communication with local officials and State agencies are participating in search and rescue efforts," the governor wrote.



Ms. Hochul confirmed to WCBS radio that several people were missing and one home was washed away.

[Herman]

Bank of America will have to pay more than $100 million to customers for doubling up on some fees, withholding reward bonuses, and opening accounts without customer consent, said a federal agency in a statement Tuesday.



Separately, Bank of America will have to pay some $90 million in penalties to its organization and $60 million in penalties to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said.



One of the most commonly used banks in the United States, North Carolina-based Bank of America serves some 68 million people and small business clients and had $2.4 trillion in consolidated assets and $1.9 trillion in domestic deposits as of March 31. It's the second-largest bank in the country after JPMorgan Chase.



"Bank of America wrongfully withheld credit card rewards, double-dipped on fees, and opened accounts without consent," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a statement. "These practices are illegal and undermine customer trust. The CFPB will be putting an end to these practices across the banking system."



His agency said that Bank of America had a policy of charging customers some $35 after the bank declined a transaction if a user didn't have enough cash in their account. The bank also "double-dipped" by allowing fees to be charged for the same transaction multiple times, the CFPB said.

[Herman]

A follower of infamous killer Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, was released from a California prison after spending more than 53 years in custody for her role the Manson family killings.



Over 70 years old, Van Houten was "released to parole supervision" and will serve a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

[Lokmar]

A follower of infamous killer Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, was released from a California prison after spending more than 53 years in custody for her role the Manson family killings.



Over 70 years old, Van Houten was "released to parole supervision" and will serve a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

I hope that whore gets stabbed 16 times by a fukin shit stained bum who rapes the remaining life out of her.

[Herman]

A follower of infamous killer Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, was released from a California prison after spending more than 53 years in custody for her role the Manson family killings.



Over 70 years old, Van Houten was "released to parole supervision" and will serve a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

I hope that whore gets stabbed 16 times by a fukin shit stained bum who rapes the remaining life out of her.

She aint going to have much of a life.

[Lokmar]

I hope that whore gets stabbed 16 times by a fukin shit stained bum who rapes the remaining life out of her.

She aint going to have much of a life.

It would serve her right if she gets victimized.

[Herman]

She aint going to have much of a life.

It would serve her right if she gets victimized.

I guarante that happened many times when she was in the joint.

[JOE]

Would you ride in one of these?



A flying car that was inspired by Marty McFly in Back to the Future has been given special airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), bringing us one step closer to living in a world where cars zip around overhead.



California startup Alef Aeronautics has been granted testing certification for its vehicle/aircraft, dubbed the "Model A," making it the first fully electric vehicle that can both drive and fly to receive U.S. government approval.



The Model A is the first flying vehicle that's able to drive on city streets and park in normal car stalls, and it's now approved for test runs on both land and in the sky.



"This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars," said Jim Dukhovny, the CEO of Alef, in a press release.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flying-car-model-a-alef-aeronautics-faa-certification/">https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flyi ... ification/">https://globalnews.ca/news/9810177/flying-car-model-a-alef-aeronautics-faa-certification/

Alef is currently accepting pre-orders of US$150 (C$198) to enter the general queue and US$1,500 (C$1,980) to be placed in the priority queue. The expected price of the Model A is US$299,999 (C$396,561.)

Kinda expensive.



but still a hopeful sign that if other competitors enter the market, the prices could fall substantially.



I heard rumors tat elon musk and Tesla have made a flying car prototype

so given his and Tesla's clout, maybe Musk could lead the charge and make affordable flying cars a reality. Clean too, with no less than hybrid motors.

[JOE]

...and Toyta is in the game too: